Edwina didn't even consider sneaking through the service entrance. As Lucas said, there was no need for it now. They have been found out. It was obvious that the frenetic activity of footmen running back and forth between waiting hackneys, some lurching off quickly into the deserted streets of Grosvenor Square, that they were searching for her. She swallowed tightly knowing that a reckoning of epic proportions was about to rain down on her head.

The moment she alighted from Lucas’s carriage, Edwina caught sight of Kate standing at the top of the steps giving orders to a group of footmen. She was still dressed in full costume from the masquerade ball, a beautiful Psyche in a gown of black and orange that mimicked butterfly wings. She caught her sister’s frantic tones, commanding the footmen to search every inch of London, and a heaviness settled in her stomach. When Kate turned, her face whitened and she cried out, "Edwina!"

Everyone froze and turned to look at her. Kate flew down the steps, her arms wide, only to stop abruptly a few feet before colliding into Edwina. Her eyes searched Edwina's gown with horror, before screaming.

Edwina immediately drew Lucas’s coat over her blood-stained gown, but it was too late. She heard the gasps and panicked cries rise up in the crowd around her.

"Kate, what is it? Edwina? Is that you?" Anthony suddenly appeared on the top of the steps, also still in costume, and rushed down to meet them. Relief flooded his face, before it turned ashen as he took in the bloodstains on Edwina's dress.

"Are you hurt?" Kate cried out again, reaching for Edwina, her hands trembling as if afraid to touch her own sister, to injure her further.

"No...no, didi , the blood isn't mine." Edwina opened her mouth to explain, realizing the terrifying picture she portrayed with her once white and pristine tunic darkened with Lily’s blood.

"Hurry, someone call the surgeon!" Anthony called out. The frozen tableau of footmen began to move again. He looked over her shoulder, confusion masking his face. "Greymoor?"

Edwina turned and watched as Lucas stepped down from his carriage. A look of resolute bleakness marred his features. Anthony's face contorted from confusion to anger. "You son of a bitch." He lunged at Lucas, slamming him against the side of his town carriage. “I’ll kill you for this!”

***

Lucas fell hard against the side of his carriage, his hands reflexively rising to block the incoming punches. One cracked against his jaw, hard.

He saw the blows coming, seen them coming the moment his carriage rounded the corner and he saw Bridgerton House ablaze with light. Perhaps, he had seen them as far back as when he had his first lustful thought of Edwina.

He knew then that he would not live through the night without a sound thrashing. One that he justly deserved.

Though, he did not anticipate being on the receiving end of a pummeling from an avenging angel. Lord Bridgerton, dressed in a white toga with feathered wings springing off his back, looked as if he was carrying out the judgment of God himself and was ready to smite Lucas right off the face of the earth.

“Anthony!” Lady Bridgerton exclaimed, causing her husband to reluctantly pause with his fist cocked back ready for another strike. Then in a quieter tone, she said firmly, “The servants.”

Lucas looked up then and saw that they had an avid audience. Footmen stood closed in around them, agape, watching their lord and master drubbing another peer of the realm. Housemaids peered out of the windows. Even drivers of early morning wagons passing by stopped to gawk at the scene before them.

Lord Bridgerton grabbed Lucas by his lapels and hauled him close until their noses nearly touched. “Come inside, Lord Greymoor,” the viscount gritted out. “We have much to discuss.”

He released Lucas suddenly, causing him to falter backwards before he followed Lord Bridgerton up the stairs and into the manor. Edwina stood on top of the steps, her brows creased with concern, and she took a half step toward him. He shook his head slightly, stopping her in her tracks. If she approached him now, there was no telling how much more damage his face would undergo from the viscount’s justified fury.

Even now, his jaw throbbed with pain and he ran his tongue across the inside of his mouth to check for any loose teeth. None. For now.

Lucas followed the viscount to his study, passing the two younger Bridgerton brothers on the way. The younger of the three, Colin, matched his eldest brother’s fury, but Benedict just shook his head in pity. Yes, there was a hint of anger in his eyes as well, but not surprise. It was as if he anticipated that Lucas would find himself in these dire straits and the sympathy in Benedict’s eyes made Lucas feel the clammy dread that the worst had yet to come.

Lord Bridgerton waited until Lucas entered the room before closing the door to the study. Lucas resisted the urge to fidget at being called to the carpet of a man only two years his elder and positioned much lower than him on the aristocratic totem pole. He made a serious error in judgment concerning Edwina and however the viscount wished for him to rectify it, Lucas knew he would do so for Edwina’s sake.

The viscount stalked over to the sideboard, shedding his wings in the process, and poured himself a finger of whiskey and drained the glass in one swallow. He did not offer Lucas a glass.

“By the by, who are you meant to be?” Lucas asked, curiosity outweighing the need to stay silent in risk of reigniting Lord Bridgerton’s temper.

“Cupid.”

“Ah.” Cupid or Eros, the Greek God of Love. Lucas smiled wryly to himself. It was too much to hope that Lord Bridgerton would feel any of those softer emotions toward him at the moment.

Both men turned at the raised voices outside in the hallway. The study door flung open with a bang and an older woman of mixed Indian heritage stalked through the door, her dark brown eyes flinty when they landed on Lucas. Lucas deduced that the woman was Edwina's mother as she shared the woman’s soft features, though it was difficult to discern at the moment as the lady’s body was rigid with anger.

Benedict and Colin Bridgerton stumbled through the door behind her.

"I apologize," Benedict said to his older brother, "I couldn't stop her."

The woman stormed over to Lucas, her eyes glittering with hot tears, raised her hand, and slapped him hard across the face. He stood there stunned as he felt the burn of her slap rise up on his cheek.

"Mary!" Lord Bridgerton exclaimed, dropping his glass, and wrapped his arms around the older woman. He pulled her away from Lucas as she raised her hand again. She struggled against her son-in-law, trying to free herself, before succumbing to the futility of it. Then, she broke into angry tears.

"How dare you do this to my daughter."

Lucas said nothing, the apology lodged tightly in his throat. He made a mistake, a colossal one, and admitting it wouldn’t lessen the woman’s pain or anger.

“Chamomile tea.”

“What?”

Lucas cleared his throat. “Chamomile tea, it calms the nerves.”

“I don’t need any damn tea,” Lady Mary seethed, her fists clenching and unclenching at her sides as if she was preparing herself to slap him into the next century.

“If not for you, my lady, I can certainly use a cup.” Both Lord Bridgerton and Lady Mary pinned him with a glare and he sighed. “It is bound to be a long night.”

***

Edwina spent the past half hour bathing and changing into a loose morning dress. Kate silently helped her wash her hair, which was sticky with sweat from her efforts hours before. Edwina felt grateful that Kate did not ask her any questions and even more so that her sister was delaying the tongue lashing she knew she deserved. Her sister was simply there and it took all of her effort not to collapse into Kate's shoulder and cry.

Her heart hurt. She did not know that evil existed in the world like the brutality Lily suffered. It angered her that the man who hurt Lily may never see justice–that he was likely protected by his status as a gentleman, perhaps even an ironclad shield of a title.

And, she worried about Lucas downstairs in Anthony’s company. She was half-panicked to finish her ablutions, hoping that she would still find a living, breathing man and not a corpse at Anthony’s feet.

They heard a knock at the door and Kate rose to her feet from brushing out Edwina’s hair. It was still damp, but Edwina bound it tight into a bun. Anthony walked into the room, his gaze resting on Kate’s first as if to ensure that his wife was well despite the traumatic events of the evening. Her sister gave her husband a slight nod followed by a pointed look, one that Edwina interpreted as to not press Edwina too hard on her forthcoming interrogation.

The best strategy was to take control of the situation before Anthony began, because Edwina knew if she didn’t grab Anthony by the horns now, she was in danger of being trampled underfoot by his relentless inquisition, one which will find Lucas skewered at the end of a sword or facing down a dueling pistol.

“I want to see him.” Edwina crossed her arms before her and hoped the expression of her face was fierce despite quaking in her slippers.

"Absolutely not," Anthony replied. "You will explain to us what is happening between you two. Why you were”–he blanched, his face paling–"covered in blood."

Edwina felt a sharp pang of guilt course through her as she looked at her sister and brother-in-law. They wore identical expressions of concern. They loved her and Edwina deflated, knowing she had no right to be upset with them. "I am sorry I caused you both so much distress."

"What happened?" Kate asked.

"Is Lord Greymoor still here?" Edwina repeated.

"He's locked in the study," Anthony said.

"You can't imprison him! He's done nothing wrong!"

"Hasn't he?"

Edwina threw up her hands in exasperation and raced out of the room. There was no point in arguing with Anthony. She needed to see Lucas.

She heard the rapid footsteps of Anthony and Kate following close behind her as she ran down the staircase towards Anthony’s and Kate’s study. Benedict and Colin leaned against the wall on either side of the door, standing guard. They straightened when they saw Edwina. “Open the door,” she commanded.

Colin glanced over her shoulder at Anthony and Edwina ground her teeth in frustration. “Open it now or I swear to you, Colin, I’m going to kick you so hard in the bollocks you won’t walk straight for a year.”

Benedict stifled a laugh and Colin hastily withdrew a key from his pocket and opened the door. Edwina brushed past both brothers. She heard Colin apologizing to Anthony and telling him that his bollocks were far more important to him than anything Anthony could threaten him with.

Her eyes found Lucas instantly and crossed the room to him. His shirt and waistcoat were disheveled and even in the dim candlelight, Edwina saw the shadow of a bruise forming on his chin. His left cheek was slightly red and swollen. She reached up to touch his cheek, but stopped abruptly remembering they wouldn’t be alone for long.

"It's nothing," Lucas replied with a wry smile. "I most likely deserved more."

"You deserve to be drawn and quartered," Anthony said, entering the room with Kate. He turned his attention to Edwina. "What happened tonight? Where were you? And, why were you with Greymoor?" He sneered in disgust as he said Lucas's title.

Edwina glanced quickly at Lucas, but he remained silent.

Anthony caught the silent exchange between them. "Greymoor has told me nothing. He's refused to."

Edwina nodded slowly. "He doesn't wish to damage my reputation."

Anthony’s nostrils flared. “Did something occur that would warrant concern about your reputation?”

Damn . Edwina bit down on her tongue in case she incriminated her and Lucas more than arriving home covered in blood in a single gentleman’s carriage.

"Do you intend to marry her?" Anthony demanded of Lucas.

"No," Edwina replied as Lucas opened his mouth to speak.

"You two have been seen together for the past week all over London. He's been attending to you at every promenade, every ball. And, he's not courting you?" Kate asked in disbelief.

"It was a ruse. Lucas, Lord Greymoor, is my teacher."

"In what?" Anthony demanded.

"Medicine."

Anthony and Kate were stunned into silence. It was Kate who spoke first. "I...I do not understand. What do you mean?"

"I am training Edwina to become a surgeon," Lucas said finally.

"But, that is impossible! She can't!” Anthony said.

"And, why not?" Edwina retorted, livid.

Kate collapsed into the armchair by the fire. "Perhaps, it is best if we start at the beginning. How did this come about? How long has it gone on for?"

“We met again about three weeks ago,” Lucas began. Edwina closed her eyes and prayed that Lucas wouldn’t bring up the assembly and the subsequent raid. She couldn’t explain both without involving Eloise and she wanted, dearly, to keep her sister-in-law out of this mess. It seemed that Lucas caught her mental prayer because he said, “and Miss Sharma took an interest in medicine. Tonight, she assisted me in treating a patient.” It wasn’t a lie, but it wasn’t the whole damning truth. She smiled gratefully at Lucas and he nodded, understanding.

“And, why would you indulge her interest?” Anthony asked, bewildered.

"I forced him," Edwina said with a laugh of false bravado.

All eyes in the room turned to Edwina.

“Forced him?” Kate repeated.

“Yes, I asked Lord Greymoor to take me on as his apprentice. He had no choice in the matter.”

"No, I do not believe you. A man as powerful as Lord Greymoor, a peer, an earl , would succumb simply because you asked him to? He humored you." Anthony turned toward Lucas, his eyes narrowed with suspicion. "My question is why? What do you gain from associating with Edwina?"

"He needed me to find him a wife." The situation was spinning out of control. Edwina looked toward Kate for assistance, but her sister remained focused on Lucas. Edwina was at least relieved to see that Kate's features weren't contorted by bloodlust as was her husband's. Instead there was a speculative gleam in her eye.

"I want to hear his answer." Anthony said sharply, flattening her with a glare so forceful that Edwina sat back in her chair.

"Do not speak to her like that," Lucas growled out.

"And, do not change the topic. I know you are a clever man. I know you could not simply have needed an escort for the season. If you wanted a wife, you needed only to let the matrons of the ton know of your intentions and you would be swarmed with all the most eligible debutantes available. But, you did not do that, did you? So, I repeat my question, why Edwina? What did you have to gain? Was this some sort of twisted game to you?”

Lucas flinched at the word “game.”

When no answer came, Anthony asked in a low voice, "Did you touch her?"

The silence in the study was deafening. Lucas paled. He wouldn’t tell Anthony the truth, would he? About the night he appeared like a dream in her room and ran his hands over her body, pleasuring her while she was in her bath. Or the night at the College, his face pressing wicked kisses between her legs, causing her cries to echo off the walls of the lecture hall. Or, even just a few hours ago, when Lucas repeatedly thrusted his hard length up against her core until she shuddered in pleasure.

"No," Edwina said. Those moments were for her and Lucas only. She refused to let Anthony taint them.

"Nothing irreparable," Lucas said at the same time.

"I'll need you to explain precisely what you mean," Anthony said.

"Nothing but kisses!" Edwina interjected, her face flushing hotly. Anthony ignored her, but she saw the muscle in his clenched jaw tick with barely checked fury. She suddenly remembered that Anthony called out Simon two seasons ago for kissing Daphne and dropped her head in her hands. It was hopeless.

"Nothing irreparable," Anthony repeated slowly, digesting the words, "but, enough to cause a scandal?"

Lucas nodded curtly.

"Who saw you?"

"Dorset. Morrison."

Anthony seethed at the second name, raking his hand through his hair in frustration. He appeared to be barely grasping at the frayed edges of his temper and Edwina wondered, yet again, how Lucas was going to survive the night.

Kate groaned out loud. "Then it is too late. Mr. Dorset, I trust. But, Lord Morrison is a delinquent at best and a bottom feeder at worst. Where did he see you two?"

Lucas sucked in a deep breath as if to brace himself, before uttering, "The Hothouse."

Anthony flew over his desk in a flash. The force of the attack toppled over the armchair Lucas was sitting in and both men fell to the floor in a violent tangle of limbs.

Both Edwina and Kate shot to their feet.

"I don't understand," Kate said, as she tried to pull her husband off of Lucas. Anthony quieted at Kate’s touch, but had his hands wrapped around Lucas’s throat. "What is The Hothouse?"

“A brothel,” Lucas gasped out, his face turning puce from the lack of air. Edwina groaned. Did the man not have one ounce of sense for self preservation?

Kate’s face darkened. “Oh, have at him then,” she said, releasing her husband who fell on top of Lucas, his fists flying.

***

“Enough,” Lucas wheezed, catching Lord Bridgerton’s fist midair, and pushed back hard until the other man yielded. It had been a painfully long night and he was exhausted. More so, he knew Edwina was fatigued and needed to find her bed before she collapsed on her feet. Her face was drawn, paling more as the pointless interrogation dragged on.

The viscount stood, his body still shaking with rage. “I should call you out for this."

Irritation made Lucas speak out of turn. "So we can both stand, pistols drawn, in a field on a cold morning looking like a pair of fools? That will not solve anything."

Lord Bridgerton's eyes flashed. It probably wasn't wise to antagonize the man at the moment. Lucas did bring the sister of his beloved wife home covered in gore, and possibly worse in the viscount’s eyes, admitted to bestowing more than a few chaste kisses on Edwina.

"It would make me gloriously happy."

"You will not challenge him to a duel," Lady Bridgerton said, setting a placating hand on her husband's shoulder. Lucas heard Edwina exhale a sigh of relief. It seemed that if anyone could get the viscount to see reason it would be his viscountess. "You will give me your pistol and I will duel him. You know I am the better shot."

Edwina groaned and dropped her head into her hands. Lucas sat up on the floor, hair mussed, cravat crushed, waistcoat torn, and his shirt pulled free from the waistband of his trousers. Edwina resisted the urge to go down to him to ensure he was unharmed. She didn't need to draw Anthony's ire again so quickly.

"Better shot?" Anthony exclaimed. "When have you proven to be the better shot?"

"Back at Aubrey Hall, or have you already forgotten the shooting contest we set up with your brothers. Or the hunt we went on where I shot that stag." Kate spun toward Lucas. "Straight through the heart, I might add."

Lucas turned his disbelieving gaze to Edwina. She nodded imperceptibly to confirm Kate's words.

"The stag was old and sickly," Anthony continued. "And that is besides the point, women cannot fight in duels. Only men. Men . Am I right, Greymoor?"

Lucas seemed surprised at Anthony's sudden address. "Well, Lady Bridgerton is correct. Women have fought duels in the past. The most notable to history is Agnes Hotot who took her father’s place in a duel, or specifically in this case, a joust over–" Twin pair of eyes pinned Lucas with a glare. “Right…I’ll stop talking.”

Kate fell back into her chair, grumbling under her breath. Edwina thought she caught the words "overbearing," "rules," and "arse."

Anthony glared at his wife. "I will not allow my wife to fight in a duel especially when I am perfectly capable of doing so."

"No one will fight in a duel!" Edwina stood abruptly, causing Lucas to rise up onto his own two unsteady legs. “I do not know how many more times I need to say this, but nothing happened!”

“It does not matter if nothing did happen, though I sincerely doubt that absolutely nothing untoward transpired between you two,” Anthony said. “You were alone together, all night I may add. And I don’t want to know how many more times you were alone together before tonight. Even if you were not seen by anyone within the ton, which I remind you, you both were, it does not matter, the servants will talk as they always do. Your reputation will be ruined."

"I do not care a wit for my reputation," Edwina said with a snap of her fingers.

"It won't only be your reputation that matters," Kate added. "Both Eloise and Francesca are out this season as well. Francesca has caught the eye of the Earl of Kilmartin. This scandal can ruin both of their chances."

“You two will marry,” Anthony said with finality.

“No,” Edwina replied, her face burning. No, she would not marry Lucas, not like this. She wanted him to choose her for love and nothing less. “Marriage cannot be the only solution.”

“It worked for Simon and Daphne,” Anthony grumbled.

“They are renowned for being a love match,” Edwina argued. “You can’t keep defaulting to forcing two people to marry because it would suddenly make everything right in the eyes of Society. It’s barbaric!”

Edwina didn’t want to risk marrying Lucas knowing it may not be a love match, or worse, one in which the love only moved in one direction and was never reciprocated. Like how it was with Anthony last season. She’d rather face a devastating scandal than live with the knowledge that Lucas never loved her and only married her out of a misguided sense of duty.

***

Lucas watched as Edwina’s family closed in around her. They would protect her from any harm, any whiff of scandal. They could do more than him. She didn’t need him. If anything, tonight had proven that Edwina was better off without him. He only continued to place her in dangerous and compromising situations that would inevitably lead to her ruin.

That had already led to her ruin.

Marriage was out of the question, even though he entertained the same thought only mere hours before. Edwina did not want him. He heard her say the very word that she would not marry him. That marriage to him could not be the only solution.

A hollowness filled his chest as he watched the Bridgertons argue as to what will be the best course forward. He was about to lose Edwina forever. Their time together was coming quickly to an end. He would not see her past this night and the thought caused sharp daggers to stab deep into his chest.

“We cannot stop Lord Morrison from spreading his vile gossip, and can only pray that none of this reaches Lady Whistledown's ears. We will quit Town and return to Aubrey Hall earlier than we expected. Perhaps, the rumors will abate in our absence," Lord Bridgerton said.

"No," Lucas said, not knowing why he spoke aloud. Lord Bridgerton's plan would free him from Edwina's company permanently. But, it wasn’t the best solution to their problem, to save Edwina’s reputation. He could give her this at the very least. Leave her untarnished so that she still had the freedom to marry any other man than him.

He cleared his throat when he noticed that all eyes in the room were staring at him as if they had forgotten he was present. "It will only inflame them further. Edwina was seen in my company. I agree that the best solution is to leave London, but not to Aubrey Hall. People will scent that something had gone wrong between our...courtship." Lucas glanced at Edwina and caught her wincing at the word "courtship." "You must all come to Leighton Castle."

Lord Bridgerton's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "To your ancestral seat? And, what would that accomplish?"

"In the eyes of the ton, I am courting Miss Sharma. It is only logical that I would invite her and her family to my home for a visit. This will give us the pretense that all is well. In any case, I had planned to leave for Leighton Castle in a few hours for the remainder of the Season. You are all welcome to join me for a few days."

Edwina looked up sharply when he mentioned his plans to leave London. He could see the hurt surprise in her eyes before she looked away quickly.

"And, afterwards?" Lady Bridgerton asked, glancing at her sister. Edwina stared blankly at the fire in the hearth. He resisted the urge to reach out to her and pull her back onto his lap as he had done in the carriage. To hold her, soothe her, and tell her it would all be well in the end. He would fix this for her before he let her go.

Lucas swallowed the lump in his throat. "Afterwards? Then it will be done. I promise to you both that I will not see Miss Sharma again."